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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, has fixed April 1, for fresh arraignment of former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, over the N1. 3 billion corruption charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Lamido is to be re-arraigned alongside his two sons, Aminu Lamido and Mustapha Lamido, who allegedly committed the fraud with their father through fictitious contract award.
Justice Peter Lifu fixed the new date on Friday, following the absence of the former governor and his sons in court to take their plea.
Although, the fresh arraignment was scheduled for Friday, the defence counsel, Mr Joe Agi SAN, apologised for their absence in court, explaining that information about the trial came on Thursday evening.
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Agi said that the former governor and his children reside in Kano and could not make it to the court because of the distance and lateness of the notice of hearing.
The senior lawyer thereafter undertook to produce the accused persons on the adjourned date to face their trial.
However, the prosecution counsel, Mr Chile Okoroma SAN, said he was taken aback that the three defendants were not in court, having been served with the trial notice.
Okoroma SAN said that EFCC had written a letter to the Chief Judge of the court, Justice John Tsoho, demanding that the initial trial judge, Ijeoma Ojukwu now in Calabar on transfer to be brought back to Abuja for the trial of the defendants. Justice Lifu said that the issue of EFCC letter was an administrative one and would be determined by the Chief Judge, but fixed April 1 for arraignment.
EFCC had in 2015, charged Lamido, his two sons and their companies before the Federal High Court in Abuja on a 27-count charge of money laundering involving N1.35 billion allegedly siphoned from the state in a money laundering scheme.
